Solar Power for a Fonera (Wi-Fi Access Point)

I tapped into this excellent forum a while back for much the same requirement. I had thought I would run wire to a tower for my wireless access, but that wasn't feasible.

I now have a 40' tower on a 200' cliff in the back of my property. It has 3 radios powered by a deep discharge 12V battery (~Cdn$250), which is being charged up by an 80W Sharp solar panel (~Cdn$550) running through a 30A charge controller (~Cdn130). I had some problems earlier with bears but that is behind me after building a metal-clad box ~4' off the ground for the equipment.

The tower has a 5.8GHz antenna for the back haul, plus two access points (2.4GHz and 900MHz). A bridge connects the 3 radios. Total power draw is ~300mA for each device, so ~1.2A continuous. The "wall warts" just drop the voltage to 7-14VDC so we discarded them and power the radios directly from the 12V battery. It is a good idea to install a switch to be able to shut off the power precisely and easily when you need to fiddle with the battery.

Not only do I now get good high speed service, but many of my rural neighbors are now being installed to get service too from the antennas.

I am concerned about the power draw though: we had a spell of cloudy days, and the battery dropped below 7V so the radios stopped. When the sun came out, things came back up, but 80W is evidently not enough for dismal months like November. Moreover, we will typically get down to -30°C during January, so even my heavily insulated box won't be sufficient to keep it warm enough.

I am considering adding a 2nd battery and a small wind turbine (~Cdn$650). The turbine will charge 24/7 and I think I can "dump" extra charge into a small heater if necessary.

Good luck with your AP; it sure makes a difference for those of us too far from cable or DSL.